You know those weeks where everything just clicks? Where the garden feels absolutely alive with energy and new faces and the kind of community connections that make your heart happy? Yeah, we just had one of those weeks at the Eastpointe Community Garden, and I’m still buzzing from it all!

Girl Scouts Take Over (In the Best Possible Way!)

Saturday brought something really special – 18 Girl Scouts plus about half a dozen parents descended on our garden for what turned out to be an absolutely fantastic learning adventure. Kat totally outdid herself organizing this whole thing, and watching it all unfold was just pure joy.

Here’s what made it so cool: instead of just wandering around, Kat and Cola created this brilliant Garden Passport system with six different stations. Each girl got their own passport and collected stamps as they rotated through:

• Harvesting Station (Katie’s domain) – where the girls got hands-on experience picking fresh produce
• Composting (Ruie’s expertise) – learning where our garden gold comes from
• Bee Education (thanks to Jennifer!) – complete with live demonstrations about our pollinator friends
• Rock Painting – because creativity and gardens go hand in hand
• Weigh Station (thanks to Germaine) – where they got to see the impact of their harvest
• Produce Stand (shout out to Niko) – understanding how we share the garden’s bounty

The numbers were incredible: over 18 pounds of fresh produce harvested, including several pounds of strawberries that had everyone’s faces lighting up. Every single bit of it went straight to our free produce stand, which is especially important right now since construction around the garden is making it harder for folks to find us.

The Girl Scouts were so engaged, so excited about what they experienced, that there is a possibility of this becoming a monthly thing! Our primary contact, Amanda was genuinely impressed with how Kat put everything together, and now we’re day dreaming about regular sessions focused on sustainable living, growing food, and helping kids understand where their meals actually come from.

Native Plant Sale Brings New & Familiar Faces

While all that Girl Scout energy was happening in the garden proper, our parking lot was buzzing with the a native plant sale that Lisa put together. Nick did an amazing job setting up the information area, even renting a projector from the library so our visiting expert could do presentations.

What I loved most was the mix of people stopping by. We had folks who remembered last year’s sale and came back specifically to add more native plants to their yards. But we also had tons of first-time visitors who bought plants and then wandered back to check out the actual garden – exactly the kind of community connection we hope for!

Nick ended up having this great hour-and-a-half conversation with Rob (first time they’d really talked!), plus connecting with Kelly from the Grosse Pointe Park beautification committee and a fellow Keep Michigan Beautiful winner. Those are the relationships that help gardens like ours thrive and spread.

The Beauty of Community Effort

You know what struck me most about the whole day? How many different people stepped up to make it all work. Katie did the early morning prep work and helped with harvesting. Nico jumped in with weeding, watering, and staffing the produce stand. One of our newest volunteers, William showed up a few weeks back and immediately made this part of his routine (love when that happens!). Even our four-legged friend Rory made an appearance!

The Numbers Tell the Story

Our harvest logs are looking pretty incredible this year. We’ve already donated 60.64 pounds of fresh produce just in June, building on the 41.57 pounds from May. When I think about families getting fresh strawberries, vegetables, and herbs they might not otherwise have access to, especially with everything going on economically… well, that’s exactly why we do this work.

What’s Next?

The Girl Scouts want to come back monthly. The native plant sale brought new people into our orbit. Our regular volunteers are finding their groove with the season. Construction might be making us a little harder to find, but our “FREE VEGGIES TODAY” sign is doing its job.

Most importantly, the garden feels like what it’s supposed to be – a place where 18 Girl Scouts can learn about bees and composting, where longtime volunteers can try out new equipment, where plant enthusiasts can connect over coffee and shared expertise, and where anyone walking by can grab some fresh produce without needing to sign up for anything or put money down.

Want to be part of what happens next? We’re out there every Saturday morning from 10 AM to 2 PM. No experience needed. Come hang with us and see what grows when community gets together.

#UrbanSeed #CommunityGarden #GirlScouts #NativePlants #EastpointeGarden #GrowingTogether #CommunitySupport